Chapter 23
It seems I've stumbled upon his secret.
"What? You two are having an affair?"
As the saying goes, "one stone stirs up a thousand waves," and with Xie Wanzhi's shout, the students in the classroom seemed to have heard some big gossip, and they all turned their necks almost to break in her direction.
Several people didn't hear clearly and jumped around anxiously like badger in a melon patch, asking repeatedly, "What secret? Who's keeping it from whom?"
Xin Wenhua, who was closest, suddenly realized, "Brother Shen, I knew you were taking your Lei Feng act too seriously! Turns out, your real intention wasn't what you thought!"
Seeing this, Xu Shen quickly looked to Zhan Xinyue for help, his face full of innocence.
Zhan Xinyue held her forehead, unsure whether to be angry at Xie Wanzhi or Xu Shen.
"I think I should go back first..." Xu Shen said.
"Don't even think about running away! You're not allowed to leave until you've explained yourself clearly today." Xie Wanzhi called out to Xin Wenhua, "Stop him!"
Xin Wenhua immediately pulled Lu Meng behind him to block him, and said with ill intent, "Brother Shen, you can't just walk in and out of our Class 10's gate as you please."
Xie Wanzhi grabbed a ruler from the table and stepped forward, "That's right, Brother Shen, you'd better confess quickly, when did you secretly take our Xinyue to see a movie?"
Zhan Xinyue frowned. In her previous life, Xie Wanzhi always addressed Xu Shen by his given name. Now, for some reason, she had started calling him "Brother Shen" along with the rest of the class. It sounded very grating to her ears.
Xie Wanzhi pressed the ruler against Xu Shen's neck, while Xin Wenhua and Lu Meng stood guard behind him like doormen, as if they were about to torture him. Xu Shen tilted his chin up and just smiled, finally replying lightly, "I won't tell you."
"hiss--"
"There's something wrong, there's definitely something wrong!"
"Something's really off about you two!"
Xu Shen's actions this time made everyone's faces look like they had uncovered a huge bombshell, and their emotions became even more excited.
Seeing that things were about to spiral out of control, Zhan Xinyue finally lost her temper and glared at him, saying, "Xu Shen, stop playing tricks on me."
"Okay, okay, I was just kidding." Seeing that she was really angry, Xu Shen immediately knew when to stop. He reached out and pushed Xin Wenhua and Lu Meng aside. "Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I'm going back to class now."
He wasn't from Class 10 after all, so everyone still had some sense of propriety when joking around. Seeing that he was really going to leave, they didn't make things difficult for him anymore. Only Xie Wanzhi reached out to stop him, unwilling to give up, and pleaded, "Brother Shen, confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely..."
"He's a few months younger than you, why are you calling him 'brother'?" Zhan Xinyue's cold voice rang out.
She was stunned as soon as she said it.
Xu Shen was also taken aback, his steps halting in place. After a moment, he looked at her and suddenly smiled again.
How did you know when my birthday is?
...
Suddenly, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted in the classroom. It was unclear what they were cheering for, but their excitement was as if they were witnessing a love confession.
The farce didn't end until the school bell rang, and Zhan Xinyue was still in shock for a long time. The ambiguous smile Xu Shen had given her after her slip of the tongue kept replaying in her mind, giving her a terrible headache.
The recent events between the two of them were all things that had never happened in her previous life. She didn't understand why these changes had occurred. It seemed that everything started different the day she deliberately avoided Xie Wanzhi and went to the supermarket alone to buy water. On the day of the exam, she also refused Xie Wanzhi's invitation to rest in her dormitory and prepared to return to the classroom alone, but she encountered Xu Shen again, which led to the subsequent accident.
After her rebirth, she tried to avoid Xu Shen at all costs. However, these choices, which were slightly different from those in her previous life, actually brought her and Xu Shen together earlier and created so many interactions that were beyond her control. She had become so irritable and numb these past few days.
Perhaps sensing that the person next to him hadn't moved for a long time, Shi Ziqian raised his head and tilted it slightly to look over.
Zhan Xinyue was staring intently at a point on the table, her pen unconsciously tapping her forehead. He followed her gaze and saw that her eyes were fixed on the glass of water that Xu Shen had just filled.
Zhan Xinyue was annoyed throughout the class, and during the break, she felt a sharp pain in her temples. Seeing Xie Wanzhi about to approach her again, she quickly left the classroom.
Shi Ziqian got up even earlier than her, and she didn't know when he left. The seat was already empty.
Night had fallen outside the classroom. She leaned against the railing in the corridor and looked up into the distance. The building opposite was the junior high school classrooms. The distance between the buildings wasn't far, and she could clearly see small figures in school uniforms reflected in the glass windows, some hunched over their desks, others huddled together playing, creating a lively scene like a play.
She watched quietly. Humans have an instinct to protect themselves, a natural tendency to avoid things that cause them pain. Just like how, since her rebirth, she has always subconsciously tried to avoid Xu Shen, as if keeping her wounds from reopening would prevent further pain. But now, even this self-deceptive escape has become a luxury.
A few barely perceptible wisps of wind brushed against her face through the layers of buildings, bringing a slight coolness that made her feel much more awake.
The summer night breeze was always her favorite image—comfortable and free. The only pity was that it was mostly blocked by the continuous school buildings, making the feeling of being in the wind less real.
She felt a pang of regret, but then a sudden inspiration struck her, and she turned and headed toward the stairwell.
She thought of a good place to go.
There is a terrace on the top floor of the teaching building, which is usually locked and students are prohibited from going up there. But in fact, that old lock can be opened with just a simple pry with a student ID card.
In her previous life, she was only taken there once by Xie Wanzhi. At that time, she was a model student and always felt guilty about doing such sneaky things, so she never went again.
Now, she just feels that it would be very comfortable to enjoy the breeze on the terrace on such an evening.
The high school building wasn't full; the classrooms on the top two floors were empty. As she walked up the stairs to the top floor, there were fewer and fewer people, and it became quieter and quieter, as if she had entered another world.
Unexpectedly, when she finally climbed to the top floor, panting, the rusty lock on the iron gate to the terrace was open, and the door was ajar, revealing a small crack.
It seemed the last person who came to the open-air area had forgotten to lock it. Zhan Xinyue didn't think much of it and pushed the door open.
The moment the door opened, a cool breeze from the terrace rushed into the stuffy stairwell, wiping away the fine beads of sweat on her forehead as she climbed the stairs, just as refreshing as she had hoped.
But there were also things she hadn't expected.
Someone had already gotten there first on the terrace.
Not far away, a tall and slender boy stood by the railing, his school uniform draped over the railing, his black short-sleeved shirt almost blending into the night.
The old iron gate creaked abruptly as it opened, and with that sound, the boy turned indifferently, his eyes slightly narrowed. In the moonlight, his hand, resting on the railing, was like cold, white jade, with a flickering red dot between his knuckles.
As her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, she recognized the figure who had taken over the terrace first: Shi Ziqian.
Zhan Xinyue had never seen Shi Ziqian like this before. In her memory, he was always aloof, but not aggressive, unlike now—
His expression didn't change much from usual, but his eyes were as cold as ice, mixed with a hint of impatience at being disturbed. His jaw was slightly tense, and his whole being exuded a huge, unapproachable aura.
Zhan Xinyue's gaze slid from his face to his fingertips.
It seems she accidentally stumbled upon something she shouldn't have seen.
After hesitating for a moment, she whispered "sorry" and reached out to close the door again.
The iron gate creaked open again with a long, drawn-out sound.
The faint "sorry" was carried by the wind to his ear. Shi Ziqian belatedly realized what was happening and his expression froze. Then, as if he suddenly realized something, the impatience on his face vanished. He quickly stubbed out the unburnt cigarette on the railing and then awkwardly reached for the light blue school uniform hanging to the side.
After a long while, he finally raised his head and looked back at the iron gate.
The door had already been closed again, as if no one had ever been there.
Zhan Xinyue was quite surprised that Shi Ziqian was smoking. He had such a clean-cut demeanor, but in today's scene, it didn't seem out of place at all.
Perhaps it was because his usual image was too otherworldly that Shi Ziqian seemed more real to her.
Going downstairs was much faster than going upstairs. Zhan Xinyue returned to the classroom door in just a few minutes. As she entered the classroom, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret: she had worked so hard all day, but she hadn't even been able to get a breeze.
When Shi Ziqian returned, he had already returned to his neat school uniform, and there was no trace of smoke on him when he sat down.
She remembered that he wasn't wearing a coat on the rooftop; being so cautious, it's no wonder she hadn't noticed.
Zhan Xinyue pretended that nothing had happened, opened the book on the table, and looked down at it.
Shi Ziqian's voice suddenly rang in my ears, asking, "Did you go to the rooftop just now?"
Zhan Xinyue hesitated for a moment before finally raising her head. Shi Ziqian was staring intently at her, his lips slightly pursed, his expression visibly tense.
When she pushed open the door, the light was against her, and she wasn't sure if Shi Ziqian had recognized her. The only thing she was certain of was that Shi Ziqian clearly didn't want this to be discovered. Several thoughts raced through her mind, and finally she said, "No."
Shi Ziqian's expression did not relax because of her answer. On the contrary, his gaze towards her grew increasingly dark, filled with complex emotions that she could not understand.
Zhan Xinyue felt that she had probably said something wrong again.
Shi Ziqian, sitting next to her, slowly withdrew his gaze and sat up straight. Zhan Xinyue didn't know what to say; she just subconsciously felt that it would be better to pretend she hadn't seen anything.
Shi Ziqian stared silently at his palm, only now noticing the burn he'd made at the base of his finger in his haste. After a long while, he suddenly spoke again, his voice very low.
“You actually saw it.” He stated it as a statement, then chuckled softly, as if mocking himself, “It’s just that you didn’t care, right?”
His words were cryptic and confusing, leaving Zhan Xinyue completely bewildered; she could only stare at him blankly.
He didn't look at her; his eyelashes drooped, and he said:
Is it because of him?
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